Paul A. Eisenstein: Electric cars becoming a reality for consumers

Paul A. Eisenstein

Tuesday

Sep 30, 2008 at 12:01 AMSep 30, 2008 at 8:16 AM

Surprisingly, the electric vehicle is back, and this time, consumers and carmakers alike are charging it on.

A popular documentary, a couple years back, focused on the apparent demise of the battery car. But if the producers of “Who Killed the Electric Vehicle?” were to stage a remake, they’d have to ask a very different question these days: “Who Will Save the EV?”

Surprisingly, the electric vehicle is back, and this time, consumers and carmakers alike are charging it on.

EVs have actually been around for more than a century. Henry Ford’s wife, Clara, favored a little battery runaround, rather than the Model T that made her husband a wealthy man. But even Ford’s friend, the legendary inventor, Thomas Edison, couldn’t come up with a battery that could deliver the range of the gas-powered Tin Lizzie.

Nearly 20 years ago, California regulators tried to mandate a market for electrics, but that limited range – along with high costs, sluggish performance and long charging cycles – didn’t connect with consumers, who were the ones who really killed that era of EVs.

But suddenly, things seem to be coming better. New versions of the latest lithium-ion batteries are proving increasingly competitive, both in terms of power, range and even cost.

Nissan now promises to put a battery car on sale in the United States in 2010, initially for fleet markets, but it hopes to take the technology retail in 2012. Early on, it’s promising only 100 miles range, but hopes to more than double that, soon after. Better yet, it expects to deliver 80 percent quick charges in less than half an hour. So, a California motorist could use it to make the run from Los Angeles to San Francisco in nearly the same time as a gasoline vehicle.

BMW and several other makers are promising to deliver EVs of their own, while General Motors and Toyota are pushing a promising alternative. Some call it the plug-in hybrid, though the makers prefer “extended-range electric vehicles.” An owner of the Chevrolet Volt, for example, might run for weeks at a time, commuting solely on battery power. But during a longer run, say from New York to Boston, a small, back-up gasoline engine would kick in and deliver effectively indefinite range.

Coming up with a competitive EV stymied Henry Ford and Thomas Edison alike, but battery power could very soon become a day-to-day reality for millions of motorists.

Paul A. Eisenstein is an award-winning journalist who has spent more than 30 years covering the global auto industry. His work appears in a wide range of publications worldwide, and he is a frequent broadcast commentator on subjects automotive.

Electric cars for the masses?

- Henry Ford and Thomas Edison failed to come up with a competitive battery car.

- New lithium-ion battery technology promises to make the EV a viable alternative for millions of motorists.

- For some, the solution will be a compromise, the plug-in hybrid, or extended-range electric vehicle.

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